Introduction
ZUJI, a website owned by Travelocity, is a one-stop online agency that fulfills all your travelling needs at the click of a mouse. Travellers-to-be can book everything they need, be it air tickets, accommodation, tours, car hire or cruises.
ZUJI provides consumers in Asia Pacific access to a choice of over 77,000 hotels with 70,000 travellers’ reviews and 400 airlines to choose from. Not only is ZUJI available in Singapore, it also has teams and travel websites in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Korea (Nextour), New Zealand, and India (Travelocity India), as well as many ''Travel Partner Network'' sites throughout Asia Pacific. ZUJI also boasts of a joint venture with 15 leading airlines operating in Asia Pacific and Travelocity, the most popular travel site in the United States.
Objectives
• ZUJI’s primary goal is to make travelling overseas easy for their customers
• To provide customers with vast options of airlines and hotels to select from
• To provide customers with helpful tools for planning a trip
• To save customers the hassle of unnecessary travelling when booking at travel agencies
• To provide customers with flexible payment options
• To provide their customers with 24-hours services everyday
• To increase the use of their website by offering the best deals and services to their online members
Features
• Business model is B2C
ZUJI acts as a 'middle-man' between its suppliers and consumers. ZUJI targets customers who want convenience and prefer to plan their own travel itinerary instead of going to tour agencies. ZUJI also reaches out to the Internet savvy MSN Singapore customers. The ability to reach over 520,000 MSN Messenger users, 852,000 hotmail users and 4.2 million unique users on the MSN website each month and offering them relevant and competitive travel deals.
Then, on the back-end, in order for ZUJI to provide these services, ZUJI has to work closely with many suppliers to offer the compelling tactical deals supported by innovative, fast-to-market marketing campaigns, such as the airlines, hotels, tour companies, car hire companies and retailers. The airlines include All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, EVA Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Hong Kong Dragon Airlines, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qantas Airways, British Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, SilkAir, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines. ZUJI also operates various B2B “Travel Partner Network” sites as additional distribution points for hotels throughout Asia Pacific. ZUJI also liaises with banks to ensure prompt and secure credit card payment online.
• Payment schemes
ZUJI offers flexible payment options. Customers can pay online through their credit card, or call the Customer Service Centre and provide their credit card details. Alternatively, they can pay in person at the ZUJI ticketing office.
There is an advantage to paying online as payment is available 24 hours. Furthermore, ZUJI partners with VeriSign Australia for secure payment transactions.
• Links
18th March 2004 - Singapore – MSN a leading online portal in Singapore, announced today that it has entered into an alliance partnership with ZUJI's leading online travel company to capture a significant slice of the online travel market. (http://www.msn.com.sg/travel).
18th March 2004 - Singapore – AsiaOne, the Internet arm of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), has selected ZUJI's leading online travel company to be its official online travel partner. This alliance will empower the AsiaOne customer to access ZUJI's competitive travel deals, comprehensive product range and simple and easy to use booking engine all from the AsiaOne Travel Channel. (http://travel.asiaone.com/).
In 2002, ZUJI and Yahoo! Southeast Asia entered into an alliance to provide Yahoo! users with a facility to make air and hotel bookings, ‘Yahoo! Travel', within Yahoo! Singapore (http://sg.travel.yahoo.com/).
ZUJI has alliance relationship partnerships in place with:
• Yahoo! in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Korea to power the travel channel
• MSN in Singapore and Korea to power the travel channel
• Ninemsn "Getaway Travel" in Australia, the #1 online portal in Australia to power the travel channel (http://ninemsn.com.au/)
• Taiwan Top Tours, China Times Travel Services for Taiwan domestic itineraries
• Naver.com Korea to power an exclusive store in the travel section
• Korean Air in Korea for provision of ‘Honeymoon’ and ‘Woman’ travel portal
• SCMP.com news portal in Hong Kong to power the ‘Travel Deals’ channel
• Atnext.com news portal in Hong Kong to power the ‘Travel Deals’ channel
Characteristics
• Price Guru
An interactive tool allowing consumers to enter their set price point for international travel for up to five cities, and ZUJI will automatically alert them when the fare drops or becomes available on ZUJI.
• Flight Guru
This feature provides a host of search options for flights, including alerting customers of free stopovers. Customers can even pre-select their seats on selected flights.
• Hotel Guru
ZUJI also launched new 'Hotel Guru' enhancements that will make it easier for customers to search for hotels. The new function includes the ability to select up to four hotels and compare them side by side based on a range of attributes – location, star rating, photos, amenities and price. ZUJI has also introduced tools that make it easier for customers to refine their search by price range, star rating, location or hotel name, thus allowing travellers to find a hotel that best suits their needs with less hassle. It also provides hoteliers with a new way to feature their hotels to ZUJI‘s audience of travellers.
• Flight, hotel and car hire search options
For each search category, customers have to input details such as the country they are departing from, their destination, the dates involved and the number of passengers to search for fares. The best fares for all the different combinations of airline and hotels will be listed. After a selection is made, customers can go on to confirm their trip and make payment via e-payment.
• SMS-A-Fare
Customers can get notification of the best airline and hotel deals anytime and anywhere by sms-ing 91842002.
• “Activities” search option
Sights, tours and activities listed under hot sellers allow customers to check out the most popular activities in various cities. A description of the activity is given and other customers’ feedback rating can also be seen. Alternatively, customers can also view what is available by clicking on the options listed by the type of activity. For example, ‘wine tasting’, ‘shopping’ or ‘theme parks’ etc. After a selection is made, customers can then proceed to make payment for their activity.
• “Travel tools” search option
By selecting your destination, ZUJI will search for all the relevant information related to your destination including the weather, places of interest, travel advice, currency and some fast facts. An image gallery is also available for customers to have a glimpse of the country they are going to visit.
• Graphical advertisements
ZUJI uses graphical advertisements to shout out promotional fares. Discounts on hotels and cash prizes to be won for example, have big advertisements which, when clicked, will link to more information about the promotion. Partnering credit card companies and their travel promotions are also placed in graphics to lure cardholders who can benefit from the joint promotions.
• Electronic ticketing
Also known as e-ticket, it functions like a paper ticket. Once a flight booking is confirmed and paid for, ZUJI will show a record of the customer’s purchase. The e-ticket record will also be stored in the airline's reservation system. Customers will then be able to access their itinerary and e-ticket receipt by clicking on the link to ''My Trips'' and selecting ''View Receipt''. It is advised to print the receipt as proof of purchase.
• Free Ticket Delivery
Making travel arrangements with ZUJI doesn't require any unnecessary travelling – they will deliver your tickets to you at a local address, absolutely free. However, they charge a small fee for an overseas courier.
• Security policy
To make online payment safe, ZUJI implements highly secure online protection methods. A dedicated risk-management team also exists to regularly and randomly counter-check credit card purchases made on ZUJI to ensure their authenticity, and verify that credit cards have not been used for making unauthorised purchases. At times, phone contact is made with ZUJI customers as part of this process. Similarly, their Privacy Policy also informs the customers that ZUJI Pte Ltd is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program. Customers are also required to read and understand the contents of the User Agreement and signify that he/she will unconditionally agree and accept to be legally bound by the Terms and Conditions.
• Feedback
Any questions and/or comments can be communicated to ZUJI through the feedback e-mail. Members can also fill in their ZUJI member login name and Trip ID, and that makes the e-mail more personal.
Analysis
Strengths
• Quick and easy to use search tool
At the homepage, customers can easily zoom into what they are searching for – flight, hotel, flight and hotel or car hire. Just by keying in the necessary details, with a click of the mouse, a whole list of options are displayed for the customer to select from. Once a selection is made, the customer proceeds to enter his personal details, make payment and the booking is confirmed. It is hassle-free and a quick process compared to making a trip to a travel agency.
• Clear, neat, colour coordinated and easy navigation
These are important aspects of website design. Clarity and coordinated colours are easy on the eye and allows viewers to stay longer to surf the site. Easy navigation also retains customers since confusing links and the inability to find what they are looking for does not bother them.
• “Moving” promotions
Great deals, discounts, joint credit card promotions and prizes that can be won are made more attractive by the moving graphics (advertisements). They are attention grabbing and that is what customers will reflexively look at and click on when they first enter the homepage.
• Priority and added service for registered members
Registered members get to receive priority notice on exclusive travel deals. This will entice more visitors to sign up with a free membership account to take advantage of the priority treatment. Site popularity and hits are then boosted. When a customer is a registered member, he/she can login into his/her account and make use of four services. The first is “My Trips” which enables the member to retrieve reservations and saved itineraries. “My Profile” makes booking processes easier by pre-filing details. Multiple profiles are also available for families. All these serve to make travel planning more smooth sailing for customers. In “My Travel Preferences”, customers give their preferences and the site is able to generate and inform them of customised special deals. Such added advantages will secure more customers into staying with ZUJI as their travel company. Finally, “My Tools (Price Guru)” can track the lowest fares to favourite destinations. ZUJI can generate email notification for destinations with pre-selected prerequisites by the member. For example, an email notification is sent when fares go below SGD 10. With so many free services to aid customers in their travelling, they are bound to be attracted and retain membership.
• Booking of activities in advance
ZUJI also gives customers the option of booking activities and tours in advance. Popular tours might be sold out when customers decide to book it while at their destination. So by using the system, customers can easily reserve places and save themselves from disappointments. Also, ZUJI highlights that by booking now, the price is locked in and price hikes will not affected the customer.
Weaknesses
• Accommodation options limited to hotels
Although ZUJI provides a vast number of hotels to choose from, including comprehensive information and value prices, budget travellers or backpackers who prefer to stay at hostels may not find the accommodation options useful. The hotels are catered to a base of consumers who are more willing to spend. If ZUJI could include a wider range of accommodation, it is likely to increase its consumer base.
• Presence of competitors
Apart from ZUJI, there are other competitors such as priceline.com, which have the same concept and are offering value added services as well. The presence of such competitors will lower prices and give customers the edge as they have many alternatives to select from. Thus, ZUJI may lose market shares if their prices and deals are not attractive enough.
• Unclear objective of the “Market Place” feature
When a potential customer clicks on the link “Market Place”, a list of retailers categorised under "Travel Essentials", "Gifts on the Run", "Things to Do", "Living it Up", and "Just for Kids" would be shown. As ZUJI Singapore is catered for Singaporeans, it is most likely that their customers are in Singapore intending to fly elsewhere. However, it seems that the “Market Place” is for foreigners who require assistance, and who are also interested in visiting Singapore. Finally, when one decides to click on the links provided in the “Market Place”, all it does is to bring the visitor to the homepage of the retailer. Since customers of ZUJI are always waiting for good prices and great deals, one would expect an exclusive deal if he/she clicks on the retailer's link through ZUJI.
• Security issues
Although there is secure payment online, there always remains a possibility of people hacking into the system.
www.dell.com
Introduction
Founded by Michael Dell in 1984 till present day, Dell Inc. listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services they trust and value. Uniquely enabled by its direct business model, Dell sells more systems globally than any computer company, placing it No. 34 on the Fortune 500. Dell's climb to market leadership is the result of a persistent focus on delivering the best possible customer experience by directly selling standards-based computing products and services. Revenue for the last four quarters totaled $58.2 billion and the company employs approximately 90,400 team members around the globe.
Soul of Dell (core elements)
Customers: We believe in creating loyal customers by providing a superior experience at a great value. We are committed to direct relationships, providing the best products and services based on standards-based technology, and outperforming the competition with value and a superior customer experience.
The Dell Team: We believe our continued success lies in teamwork and the opportunity each team member has to learn, develop and grow. We are committed to being a meritocracy, and to developing, retaining and attracting the best people, reflective of our worldwide marketplace.
Direct Relationships: We believe in being direct in all we do. We are committed to behaving ethically; responding to customer needs in a timely and reasonable manner; fostering open communications and building effective relationships with customers, partners, suppliers and each other; and operating without inefficient hierarchy and bureaucracy.
Global Citizenship: We believe in participating responsibly in the global marketplace. We are committed to understanding and respecting the laws, values and cultures wherever we do business; profitably growing in all markets; promoting a healthy business climate globally; and contributing positively in every community we call home, both personally and organizationally.
Winning: We have a passion for winning in everything we do. We are committed to operational excellence, superior customer experience, leading in the global markets we serve, being known as a great company and great place to work, and providing superior shareholder value over time.
Features
• Business model is B2C
Dell has the product range and expertise to help multinational, government and corporate accounts as well as experienced individuals and small to medium businesses, implement their technology initiatives throughout the region.
• In response to Dell’s motto that they will ensure the delivery of the kind of support their customers expect in tools and technology, they have set up DellConnect.
It is a new remote diagnostics and repair tool that enables the technician staff to connect to the customer’s computer and fix the problem on the spot or show the customer how to do it.
• In February this year, Dell rolled out IdeaStorm (http://www.ideastorm.com/)
This is a forum for users to brainstorm what works, what doesn’t and what new features they would like to see introduced. Users can also post their ideas for new services and products, interact with the experts, chat with other users and vote on designs.
• There is also an official Dell blog, Direct2Dell, which is used for one-to-one communication with Dell.
• Shopping on the website is safe and such a breeze, with a step-by-step guide on making your purchase.
Customers are able to order computers directly from Dell and receive them within seven to ten working days. They can access a toll-free technical support hotline and benefit from the company's on-site service programs.
Customers can also choose what they need and customize their purchases, building their own computers.
Efficiency is ensured, with an order confirmation (stating the customer’s online reference number, order number and expected delivery date) sent a day after an order is placed. Customers can also check on their order status via the website by keying in order number or by calling the automated order tracker hotline. Lastly, 1-2 weeks upon delivery of the computer (which is approximately a week after the order is placed), an order invoice will be mailed to the customer.
• The site map provides users with additional information
Users can find out more about Dell via different forms of media (e.g. watching video broadcasts of conversations with Dell).
Financial information about the company is also given to help investors monitor the growth of the company.
One of the most significant investments Dell is making worldwide is in the Internet. Its website, www.dell.com/ap now supports 11 country/region specific sites for Asia-Pacific/Japan, using four languages including Chinese, English, Korean and Japanese.
• Dell and the environment
With recent news about the climate change, Dell has decided to do its part to protect the earth by expanding the ‘Plant a Tree for Me Programme’. It is now offering anyone in the U.S. the opportunity to offset the carbon dioxide emissions related to the use of an extended selection of IT products.
Dell has recycling programs that allow for the free return of all Dell branded products. In addition, Dell has several convenient programs that accept any make or model of computer, monitor, printer, or peripheral device.
Dell provides consumers a donation or recycling option or for old computers. Through Dell Recycling, consumers can donate their computers to the National Cristina Foundation to help disabled and economically disadvantaged children and adults in your own community. The foundation will pick up your computer at your door and put it to good use in your community.
If recycling your computer is your preference, Dell offers an environmentally friendly method to dispose of outdated computer equipment that no longer has useful life. Dell is happy to accept any brand of computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor or printer. And Dell will pick it up at your home.
Characteristics
• Keyword Search
Upon entering the Dell website, the user can immediately see the keyword search bar. For those unwilling to browse through the entire site to search for what they're looking for, they can simply type in a keyword here and the site will do the rest.
To narrow the searches and make them more effective, Dell has provided a drop down menu next to the search bar that allows the user to select ‘Products’, ‘Technical Support’ or ‘Articles & Solutions’.
• Country Selection
The Dell website provides a list of countries/regions for the customer to choose from, depending on where he/she is located. A total of 151 countries/regions are available for selection, from Africa to Zimbabwe.
• Graphical Advertising Banner
Right smack in the middle of Dell’s main website is a graphical banner that informs the user of Dell’s latest products, be it desktops, laptops, servers or heavy-duty storage devices. The banner takes up most of the space on the site.
• Product Families
Dell has 5 main product families: ‘Notebooks‘, ‘Desktops‘, ‘Servers, Storage & Networking’, ‘Printers, Ink & Toner’ and ‘Monitors, Electronics & Accessories’. The website has large buttons representing each family that expands into a menu of sub-families upon a simple rollover with the mouse cursor.
• Button Bars
The Dell website has button bars at the top and bottom of the page that pertain to the more nitty-gritty matters such as ‘Security & Privacy Policies’, ‘Order Status’, ‘Unresolved Issues’ and ‘Feedback’. These bars allow the user to access the company’s legal information, keep track of their product orders and give feedback should they feel the need to.
Analysis
Strengths
• Clear and Comprehensive Layout
The Dell website’s clear and comprehensive layout makes for easy navigation and simplicity of use. This Spartan approach to the website design tends to be a bit boring but it does the job as users won’t easily miss customisation options and the like for their desired products as the buttons and icons used are conspicuous.
The use of “tabs” to navigate main areas of the website allows users to obtain the information they need with minimal mouse clicks. This show-all approach, coupled with the absence of fancy animated features is practical and absolutely suitable for the Dell website where users need to obtain precise and accurate information quickly to obtain their desired products.
• Pleasant Colour Scheme
The colours used in the Dell website are predominantly blue and grey. This simple combination is easy on the eyes and does not distract the user from their objective in visiting the site: browsing/purchasing Dell’s products.
• Professional
The Dell website readily provides information such as ’Security & Privacy Policies’, ’Terms of Sales’ and ’Company Information’, such as executives’ profiles, company overview and career opportunities.
The professionalism of Dell as a company is evident from the forwardness with which they offer the relevant information on their website. The user who is interested in such legal matters will be able to see these links on the button bar as soon as the main page is done loading.
Not one but two options are available on the Dell website to contact them. One button labelled 'Contact Us' and one labelled 'Feedback'. The user, should he/she desire to ask a question or send a comment, would easily be able to with these options.
• Premier Members' Benefits
A 'Premier Login' button exists on the button bar on the Dell website. These premier members have a personal profile with Dell and access to special benefits unavailable to the standard user.
• Text Size
The Dell website has an option at the bottom of the page that can make all the text larger. This seemingly small and unimportant option shows how Dell is concerned with its users' experiences upon visiting the site. It adds a sort-of personal touch that connects with the user and can go a long way.
• Festive Promotions
Dell is currently having a promotion, as it is the Hari Raya period. The notification banner is in green to match the season. This is yet another way in which Dell connects with its users as they even provide a promotional offer based on the season of Hari Raya.
Weaknesses
• Bombardment of Information
The provision of extensive information about their products on Dell's website tends to give a sense of clutter to the user interface as there can be a very large amount of words on screen at one time. Though necessary, this bombardment of information may be a turn-off to the users who are lazy to peruse everything that Dell has to say about its products.
• Lack of Eye-Catching Graphics
The plain, simple layout of the Dell website is lacking in animated icons, eye-catching graphical features and the like. Though simple to navigate, the site comes across as rather boring, to the point and commercial. One would think that a leading IT company such as Dell would have been able to come up with a more interesting design for their website, without hindering navigational ease and wide-audience accessibility.
